Red Hot Chili Peppers: She's Only 18 Meaning

She's Only 18 Lyrics

She's only 18
Don't like the Rolling Stones
She took a short cut
To being fully grown

She's got that mood ring
A little sister rose
The smell of Springsteen
A pair of pantyhose

This talking picture show
Is leaking from a...

1. anonymous

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   Jan 17th 2013 !⃝

   I think the song is about women who either grow up to become prostitutes or sell themselves for sex in order to stand out or feel validated. It may be refferring to getting breast implants and acting promiscuous, however let's examine each verse:
   
   She's only 18
   Don't like the Rolling Stones
   She took a short cut
   To being fully grown
   ----
   This tells us that she is young and probably follows a lot of trends (the not liking rolling stones example). The last two lines refer to probably plastic surgery or breast implants (as i've stated earlier).
   -----------
   
   She's got that mood ring
   A little sister rose
   The smell of Springsteen
   A pair of pantyhose
   ------
   I can't be too sure about what this verse refers to.. My guess would be that anthony is describing her as wearing a lot of perfume and make up to make herself seem more sexually appealing. "A pair of pantyhose" probably refers to her wearing little clothing or even using pantyhose as a metaphor for acting promiscuous.
   -----
   
   This talking picture show
   Is leaking from a silhouette
   She said my man you know
   It's time to get your fingers wet
   Your hustle's busted when
   You can't afford a cigarette
   The last I heard from you
   You were screaming "handle it"
   -----
   This most likely tells us that the woman is a prostitute. "This talking picture show is leaking from a silhouette" i'm guessing mentions others photographing her nude. This can also describe her as a porn star in a sense. "She said my man you know it's time to get your fingers wet" implies she's sexually active, and most likely asking a man to finger her. "Your hustles busted when you can't afford a cigarette." I believe this line refers to her essentially selling her body for sex at the price of a cigarette, or that she smokes as prostitutes often do. "the last i heard from you you were screaming "Handle it" I'm not 100% sure on what this means, however i'm guessing she may have left a man she was once living with. She probably left him a long time ago. The man is probably meeting up with her again after a long time.
   -----
   Knock the world right off its feet
   And straight onto its head
   -----
   Wanting to stand out.
   ----
   The book of love will
   Long be laughing after you are dead
   -----
   She never pursued a life of proper love, and the closest thing she'll ever achieve to love is sex with strangers.
   ----
   Fascinated by the look of you
   And what was said
   ---
   Probably a man eying her or giving her a tip
   ---
   Make a play for all the
   Brightest minds and light will shed
   ----
   This is somewhat confusing to me. It might be the song sarcastically saying that she's setting a good example, or that she's setting a bad example for other young women.
   ------
   
   I heard some P-Funk
   Out on the road again
   To get your head shrunk
   Is what I recommend
   ----
   "Just ignore what you're going through. Try not to think about it."
   ----
   It's in your bloodline
   A perfect Frankenstein
   ----
   Maybe her mother went through the same ordeal, or something that may be a bit more interesting could be that she became pregnant with an unwanted child "Frankenstein" perhaps referencing possible birth defects.
   ----
   Out on that lone pine
   I'm gonna make you mine
   ----
   Perhaps a man becoming obsessed with her for her physical appearance. Or seeing her low-self esteem as an excuse for being an easy target.
   -----
   
   It's understood you wrap
   Your voodoo right around my neck
   You've got some glitter on your
   Kitty at the discotheque
   -----
   Could refer to any jewellery or make up she has on casually.
   ----
   I put my lovin' in your oven
   Not a head to check
   ----
   She becomes pregnant again being left alone, the father never comes to visit the child.
   -----
   The last I heard from you
   You were screaming "resurrect"
   ----
   She wants to leave the life she chose behind.
   
   That may be a bit of a literal interpretation of the verses over all meaning, however that's just my interpretation.
2. anonymous

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   Oct 17th 2011 !⃝

   She's only 18
   Don't like the Rolling Stones
   She took a short cut
   To being fully grown
   
   means she's a young 18 yr old girl and she doesnt like TRS cuz many young people these days dont like that kinda music (some do). The girl tries to grow up too fast by takin the fast lane.
   
   
   
   She's got that mood ring
   A little sister rose
   The smell of Springsteen
   A pair of pantyhose
   
   don't really know about the mood ring but it could be about her changing from a young innocent girl to something else and what I think little sister rose means is a young girl's vagina. In Bruce Springsteen's song: Reno, it talks about a guy having sex with a prostitute and starts off with him taking off her pantyhose. So she turns from a young girl into a prostitute.
   
   Im gonna skip to this part.
   
   I heard some P-Funk
   Out on the road again
   To get your head shrunk
   Is what I recommend
   
   It's in your bloodline
   A perfect Frankenstein
   Out on that lone pine
   I'm gonna make you mine
   
   I guess when it talks about p-funk I don't think its talkin about the music. p funk is another name for cocaine and about getting yur head shrunk is the effect it has on the brain by decreasing brain functions and in some cases even the brain density. The next lines probably mean she has it in her to be a "freak" - perfect frankenstein. Then the last line probably means the guy she is with is gonna have sex with her out in the forest somewhere.
   
   
   
   It's understood you wrap
   Your voodoo right around my neck
   You've got some glitter on your
   Kitty at the discotheque
   I put my lovin' in your oven
   Not a head to check
   The last I heard from you
   You were screaming "resurrect"
   
   There are voodoo necklaces that are made from chicken bone legs worn around the neck of witch doctors, in this case the vood around the guy's neck is most likely she got her legs wrapped behind his neck. The glitter is cum because semen can give off a a sort of shine when exposed to light. Kitty is another word for pussy, so she still has some cum on her pussy from the club. When it talks about him putting his lovin in her oven it means the guy is putting his penis in her vagina and of course the head is the mushroom tip.
   
   Thats as far as I can interpret it.
3. zwaves

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   Jun 1st 2008 !⃝

   It's about AK's girlfrind Heather...
4. anonymous

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   Mar 13th 2008 !⃝

   This song is about a girl who rushed into an adult life of prostitution and partying. She may eventually die from it I'm not sure.

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